IN PICS | Morero opens Soweto clinic, urges residents to pay for services

Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has called on Soweto residents to look after the new 24-hour clinic in Naledi and urged them to pay for municipal services so the city can render better services. 

On Wednesday Morero and health and social development MMC Ennie Makhafola officially opened the state-of-the-art R90m clinic.

“Let's work together as a community to enjoy the healthcare services that the government has put here,” Morero said. 

“The City of Johannesburg has spent around R90m for this facility, including the equipment. Residents must pay for municipal services so that we can build facilities such as this one throughout Johannesburg and also improve service delivery in general.”

Makhafola said the Naledi Clinic project has been a priority since her appointment. She said the clinic would operate 24 hours a day and would have sufficient nurses and equipment. 

Sannah Nkadimeng, 70, told TimesLIVE she had previously struggled for money to travel to a clinic further from where she lives. She was thrilled to now be able to walk to the clinic for check-ups and to collect her medication. 

Nkadimeng said the new clinic would be far more convenient for the elderly.

“I think this clinic is going to be better because it is open 24 hours and there are X-rays, labour wards and better equipment, so we won't suffer so much," Nkadimeng said.

Peggy Magau, 75, who suffers from chronic illness, said she was excited that she no longer has to walk a long distance to attend a clinic 

“Even when I was sick, I needed to walk a long distance so that I could get to the clinic to be treated. I am glad that this clinic is open because it will now only take me five minutes to get here,” she said.

“The clinic will help us. It has the best equipment and there will be even more nurses, which means we won't be sitting here the whole day.”

TimesLIVE